The beauty of the robbery scheme is that the robbers don't really “break in” at all; instead they rent out an abandoned handbag store two doors down from the bank and tunnel in from below to the inside of the vault itself. Secret service is more than happy to keep the local law enforcement at bay - just so long as Martine can slink away with the royal photos.

Along the way, an elderly ham radio operator accidentally stumbles across the gang’s walkie-talkie transmissions, and alerts the police there’s a bank robbery in progress. Fortunately for MI-5, narrowing down which of London’s dozens of banks is being robbed is going to take some considerable time and effort. This tidbit is what, in real life, made the headlines as the "walkie-talkie" robbery.

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais's story is a complicated affair but it succeeds accordingly courtesy of Statham, entertaining as the loveable rogue while exuding his trademark cocksure macho attitude. And Director Roger Donaldson does a good job of capturing the hip London look of the early ‘70s while keeping the suspense crackling with one of the biggest bank heists ever committed.

Some of what appears on-screen in The Bank Job is speculative, but much has the ring of truth; regardless of whether it's more fact or fiction, it provides an enjoyable two hours.